


Entranced

by The13thBlackCat



Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: Bad Decisions, Demons, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-05
Updated: 2014-08-05
Packaged: 2018-02-11 21:00:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2083035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The13thBlackCat/pseuds/The13thBlackCat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When push comes to shove, sometimes surviving is all that matters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Entranced

Kitty held her makeshift staff--it was more of a large branch, really--close, her face buried in her knees and her shoulders shaking as she wept quietly into them.  
  
The Templars would find her soon. This cave--it was hardly a cave at all, more like a large burrow--was barely enough to keep her hidden from sight. And she couldn't leave; she'd been running so long, she was almost about to collapse, and on top of all that she thought she might have twisted her ankle when she'd first come up the mountain.  
  
They were out there, and they were going to find her soon. And then...she bit her tongue to keep from whimpering, curling up tighter. They would kill her, or worse, take her to the Gallows.  
  
She swallowed, hard, and began to pray. The Maker was merciful and loving, wasn't He? She had done nothing wrong! She wasn't even a powerful or dangerous mage!  
  
"Why so sad, precious?"  
  
Kitty jerked her head up with a shrill little yelp, shoving herself further back against the cave wall, rocks and tree roots digging painfully into her back. The woman who had spoken tilted her head slightly, but didn't move.  
  
She was...beautiful, but not human. Not even an elf or a dwarf or...or anything else Kitty recognized. She wore almost nothing--a golden collar and a sash around her hips--and her skin was pale purple. Curved horns grew from her brow, and her eyes glowed bright with purple fire. She didn't stand, but instead floated gently in place, watching Kitty.  
  
Kitty stared back for a moment, wide-eyed and blinking. She flushed abruptly when she realized the woman in front of her was only half-dressed, and jerked her eyes up guiltily. They met the burning ones of the strange woman and Kitty froze, like a rabbit staring down a wolf.  
  
"W...what are you?" Her voice sounded small and frightened, choked with tears. The woman's full, sensuous lips curved into a smile that didn't seem very friendly and she shifted a little, cocking a hip. She brushed a hand up her stomach, her fingers playing over her breast, the tip of one claw flicking against her nipple; Kitty felt her face heat when she realized where she'd been staring and she snapped her eyes back up again.  
  
"What am I?" The woman's voice was breathy, sultry, and it made Kitty's face burn even more. "No matter. _Who_ I am is much more important than _what_ I am, and you can call me Trance, pretty."  
  
"Trance...?" Kitty blinked, swallowing hard and trying not to watch as Trance's hand drifted back down her body, teasingly slow. She tried not to think about where it was going.  
  
"That's it." Trance leaned forward some, then knelt in front of Kitty. A dark tail curled around from behind her, the tip brushing against her ankle. Kitty swallowed and tucked her feet in closer.  
  
"But now that you know my name, sweetness, you have me at a disadvantage..." Trance pouted prettily, fluttering her eyelashes. "Don't _you_ have a name?"  
  
Kitty swallowed, hugging her knees. She probably shouldn't be talking to this woman; whatever she was, something was very _wrong_ about her that Kitty couldn't place. But...  
  
"Kitty." She whispered, her voice tiny. She swallowed again, clutching her staff. _What...?_  
  
" _Kitty._ " Trance said her name slowly, as if tasting it, and Kitty saw her tongue flick behind her pointed teeth as she pronounced it. It made her blush for some reason. "Very pretty."  
  
"You..." Kitty looked her over--quickly, still blushing--and scooted back more. "What...where..."  
  
Her eyes dropped to Trance's tail when it brushed against her again and she jumped slightly. It was almost black, segmented like an insect, at odds with her strange beauty. Her eyes flicked to her hands--also dark, with long claws--then her horns. _She was..._  
  
" _Demon!_ " Kitty tried to wedge herself back further, the word almost catching in her throat. _Of course!_ What else could she be? Kitty had heard Sundermount was haunted, full of demons and skeletons and other horrible things, but she'd never _seen_ a demon before or even been able to read much about them...but she still should have known, should have recognized her _immediately--_  
  
Trance made a disappointed sound, pulling back slightly before Kitty could try to use her magic. She pouted again, though she seemed a little annoyed this time and not merely doing it for show.  
  
"Demon? No, no, sweetness. I'm just a spirit. I don't want to hurt you." Her voice was still gentle, sultry, but Kitty knew better than to let her guard down again now.  
  
"You're no spirit!" Kitty's own voice sounded high and scared to herself; she must have sounded absurdly pitiful to Trance, and the thought made her flush in embarrassment. "Y-you're...a desire demon, aren't you?" She had to be. Nothing else made sense. But if she _was--_  
  
"I'm a _spirit_ of desire, yes. Very good, precious." She pressed her hand to her chest, tilting her head and trying to look innocent. "But not a demon. Demons hurt people, don't they? And I don't want to hurt you. In fact, I only want to help you."  
  
"Help me...? Why would you help me?! Get away from me!" She thrust her staff out, but Trance caught it, holding tight. Kitty squeaked shrilly, letting go and jerking back as if she'd been stung; Trance tossed the staff aside, clicking her tongue disapprovingly.  
  
"You're too jumpy, pretty. You see, I've seen the Templars outside. They must be looking for you, yes?" Trance must have seen Kitty cut her eyes to the entrance, because she added, her voice soft and plying, "They're very close. Or they were, when I saw them."  
  
She leaned back some. "There's quite a few of them. Far too many for a poor little kitten like yourself...but not too many for me." She smiled, inclining her head slightly. "So I thought, why shouldn't I help you? Poor little thing, you probably haven't even done anything wrong. I know how horrible those Templars can be."  
  
Kitty swallowed, hard, staring at Trance. Desire demons were very powerful. She probably wasn't lying when she said she could overpower the Templars chasing her. But...  
  
"...what do you want?" She whispered, her voice quiet and scared. She may not have known much about demons, but she knew they never did anything for nothing. This one would want something in return. Trance's smile widened.  
  
"Want? Why, I want the same thing you do, precious: freedom." She reached out and Kitty cringed, trying to curl up tighter; but when Trance's fingers bushed over her cheek, they didn't hurt. They felt cool, but that was all. "I can't go far from this mountain without a host, and it's so dreadfully boring. Let me come with you, see the world through your eyes. That's all I want. And for that..." She gestured to the cave entrance. "...I can teach you how to take care of them."  
  
"You want me to be an a-abomination?!" Kitty looked up sharply. She couldn't be serious! There was _no way--_  
  
"Abomination is such an _ugly_ word, sweetness. No, I don't want to possess you. You can keep your pretty little body; just let me come with you. No one will even know I'm there, and you can do whatever you like, live your life however you choose." She batted her eyelashes. "I won't even complain. I just want away from this dismal mountain."  
  
Kitty stared at the demon, wide-eyed and terrified, her heart pounding in her chest. She couldn't face the Templars alone, and she couldn't escape them. But if she accepted...she would be a maleficar. A monster. _How..._  
  
"Hurry, sweet." Trance flicked her glowing eyes towards the entrance. "They're very close now." She turned her attention back to Kitty, leaning forward with a soft smile. "My terms are very generous. Just think, kitten: I'm a spirit of _desire_. I can give you everything you've ever wanted, and I can make sure the Templars can never, ever hurt you. All you have to do is let me..." She raised a hand, holding it out.  
  
Kitty stared at her hand, her thoughts jumbled. Trance could...but then she'd be...and the Templars...when they found her, they would...  
  
She'd heard of the Gallows before. The things Templars did to you there. _Anything_ must be better than going there.  
  
She swallowed, then took Trance's hand. Her eyes met the demon's, and her voice soft, she whispered, "Help me."  
  
Trance's smile widened into a grin, her fangs flashing in the dim light. She closed her hand around Kitty's, leaning forward to whisper in her ear, "Of course, precious. They'll never be able to touch you..."


End file.
